Kota Kinabalu: Sabah's small and medium enterprises (SMEs) should accelerate digital transformation, strengthen corporate governance and leverage business intelligence to remain competitive as the State positions itself as a regional investment and trade hub, said Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Seri Dr Joachim Gunsalam.
Officiating the Platinum Business Awards (PBA) 2026 Roadshow on Friday, he said SMEs must continue improving their competitiveness and expand beyond domestic markets amid rapid advances in technology, artificial intelligence, cybersecurity and changing consumer expectations.
Dr Joachim said the Sabah Government remains committed to supporting businesses through improvements in infrastructure, connectivity, investment facilitation, human capital development and entrepreneurship programmes under the Sabah Maju Jaya agenda.
He described this year's PBA theme, "Governance • Digitalisation • Intelligence", as timely, saying the three pillars are essential to improving business integrity, operational efficiency and data-driven decision-making for sustainable growth.
He said the roadshow provides entrepreneurs with opportunities to gain knowledge, engage government agencies and industry experts, and build networks to support business growth.
